Sex drugs and royalty

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A new television drama will show Princess Margaret, the late
sister of Queen Elizabeth, in sex scenes and taking drugs, British
broadcaster Channel 4 said today.

The Queen's Sister shows an actress playing Margaret, who earned
a reputation as a tearaway rebel, kissing another woman, smoking a
"very strange-looking" cigarette at a party and bending down to
unzip the trousers of husband-to-be Anthony Armstrong-Jones.

"The Queen's Sister is a dramatic gift - a witty and irreverent
royal romp. Princess Margaret's life was so vibrant and conflicted
that this was a story dying to be told," Channel 4's senior
commissioning editor, Francis Hopkinson said.

Margaret, who died aged 71 in 2002, enjoyed a frenetic social
life in her early years, becoming the first celebrity member of the
British monarchy.

In 1978 she also became the first in the inner circle of the
royal family to divorce since Henry VIII, more than four centuries
earlier.

Channel 4 said the drama, not intended to be a documentary or
faithful biopic, would put "her colourful, complicated and
controversial life under the microscope".

The show is unlikely to go down well with the royal family,
especially the queen who was very close to her sister and regularly
confided in her.

"We would be happy to send them a DVD," a Channel 4 spokeswoman
said when asked if they expected the royals to watch.